The Importance of 12 Years a Slave for Lupita Nyong'o

From time to time there is a film with a performance that left the cinematographic world speechless, and that's the case with 12 years a slavery. This movie is special for me, because it was the first one that made realize the power of the cinema; a story overwhelming and cruel, performances one better than the other. I remember seeing this film when I was a kid. I watched so many times, and will be forever in my heart. But above all the peformances, there is one that broke every scheme and put a name on the map to everyone, and that's exactly what happened with Lupita Nyong'o. From the moment she appared on screen she carried the film. Nyoong'o potrayed the pain and resilience of Patsy with such greatness.

From Nyong'o it was her first featuring film role, and that's impressive, because it seems like a performance from an award winning actress and now 12 years later (what a coincidence!!!) I want to get back to this performance.

12 Years a Slave2013

Before the movie

In a brief overview about her story before the movie. She was born in Mexico city, with kenyan parents in exile and raise in Nairobi, she grew up in a home where education mattered deeply. She began her acting studies at Hampshire College till she discovered a drama program at Yale. There she learned that acting is about stamina and discipline. She called it ‘’athletics of the heart'' training that pushed to open up emotionally in ways that she wouldn't imagined.

The chance that changed her life came just before graduated, when her manager got her an audition for the role of Patsy in 12 years a slave. She make it with such confidence that caught Steve McQueen's attention and won the role.

Bringing Patsy to Life

Playing Patsey meant stepping into a person with a lot of pain and also strength. On the plantation she was the one that coud pick more cotton than anyone else but she is a woman crushed by a lot of cruelty.

Nyong'o brought this contradiction to life with such subtlety. Her eyes that speek instead of a dialogue. Her quiet voice filled with longing and despair. For example, the scene where Patsy begs Solomon Northup to end her life… Nyong'o delivered such a softly performance, without a scream, its impossible to watch this scene with knot in the throat. But beside all the pain, Patsy was creative, ingenious, her spirit and her desire of dignity in small but significative moments. Nyong'o captures this both sides of a character in a explendid way.

This role is emotionally devastating, and Nyong'o admitted later how hard was for her to leave the character. But she also saw this as a privilige, the rivilge of carrying a pain like that but for a short time compared to the lifelong suffering of the real Patsy. Nyong'o poured everything she had into the role. The results is evident as we witness someone's soul on the screen instead of an acting.

The Culture Impact

Awards season confirmed what everyone knew. Lupita Nyong'o won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress, making history as the first kenyan and Mexican actress to do so. She also at 31 years old joined the club of black actresses ever honored with the Oscar.

But the impact when beyond the awards, she became an icon because of what she represents; the proof that stories of black women mattered deeply, specially in the context of America that years. For young girls around the world, Nyong'o was their biggest proof that their dreams weren't impossible.

The Legacy

After this role the door was opened for her to continuing challenge herselft, from chilling roles as US or Black Panther. She ofter says that the Oscar gave her the opportunity to choice, allowing her to select the roles that mattered the most for her.

The performance of Patsy will be forever in the heart of the public and specially mine, because it showed the dark history of humanity. A reminder that slavery wasn't just a chapter more on history, it was lived, felt, suffered by persons.

And that's why this performance matters, because it teaches us empathy, it forces us to confront the dark parts of our history as human beings. It's a reminder of stregnth even in the face of cruelty.